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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23265079">The Collection</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alaina_Locksley/pseuds/Alaina_Locksley'>Alaina_Locksley</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who, Doctor Who &amp; Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Escape, Meet the Family, Reunions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:48:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,326</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23265079</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alaina_Locksley/pseuds/Alaina_Locksley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Finally, a relaxing trip with the fam without any unexpected monsters, just a King and a hero’s welcome.  What could go wrong?  Join the Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham as they encounter an old friend on a distant planet.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Here goes an attempt at Doctor Who.  I must say the Doctor is one of my favorite characters, top five, at least.  Talk about depth and possibilities!  </p><p>Also one quick thing, I never saw Twice Upon a Time due to a slight but severe DVR mishap… in that, it wasn’t set to record, and I was devastated.  Therefore, this entire ficlet was written without the knowledge that the Doctor does, in fact, know who Clara is…. Oops.  For the purposes of this story, please read as if Twice Upon a Time never happened (other than the regeneration, of course) please.  Thanks!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The guards led them through the entrance, marble doors heaved open at the Lieutenant’s trumpet blast.  Opulence didn’t begin to describe the palace, pomp and circumstance an understatement of their welcome.  The Doctor skipped along, her fam at her back.  She couldn’t believe her luck.</p><p>One flash of her psychic paper and the Lieutenant nearly fell over himself to introduce them to the region’s king.  The Doctor scrunched her nose at the thought… aristocrats.  She shrugged.  At least the group was getting a proper welcome to a new planet for a change.  She really needed to start scouting locations before taking them.</p><p>Her thoughts drifted back to their last adventure as they passed a ballroom lavish enough to host the greatest of Alexanders with the extravagance of any Cleopatra worth her salt.  The Doctor could still smell the brekindoodle’s stench, still feel its drool on her cheek as it debated the best way to eat her.  Who knew a trip to one of the Seven Wonders of the Galaxy would turn them into lunch options?  Honestly… she shook her head.  They didn’t even get to see the Grand Pheonix or the surrounding Trapezes.</p><p>They entered the throne room and the Doctor let out a low whistle, spinning to take it all in as they approached the throne. </p><p>“It’s a bit different than our last trip, yeah?” Yaz asked with a smile jabbing a playful elbow into Ryan’s rib.  Graham’s mouth hung open as he took in the jewels decorating the walls.</p><p>“Yeah,” he said laughing. “Hey Doc, you think we can keep to places like this?”</p><p>She shot him a quick smile turning to face the figure sitting on a throne worth twenty of the peasant dwellings they had passed on the way.  Forcing her face to stay impassive, she bent into a bow quickly remembering it was supposed to be a curtsey.  The result ended in an awkward hunch with bent knees.</p><p>“Your Highness… Majesty?  High Jesty?”  She asked face screwing up in thought, turning back to her fam. “Ugh, titles.  They’re always so confusing.”</p><p>“Right,” Ryan said his lips quirking, “Doctor.” </p><p>“Oh, hush you.” She laughed turning back to the king, taking the twinkle in his eye as a good sign.  Maybe, he’d invite them for a feast.  She loved the odd feast on a remote planet.  Good for the soul, she always said.  Was that her, or was that a different her?  Did it matter?  She decided it didn’t.</p><p>“I must say,” the King said smiling at them in a grandiose, grandfather-y imitation of good faith, “To have someone of your stature visit our humble kingdom… Well, it truly is an honor.”</p><p>“Yes,” the Doctor said eyebrows raising as she nodded, playing along, “We are an honor to have and honored to… be… had.”  She didn’t see it, but knew, knew, the members of her fam were exchanging worried looks. Hoping to distract everyone from her awkwardness she added, “Great palace you have here.  Big spacey… spaces.” </p><p>The King’s brow furrowed.  Floundering she went with it.  Giving a mental shrug, it was too late to turn back anyway. “Are those crystals from Dunmerth?” She turned back to her fam ignoring their exasperation, “Lucky to have those, he is.” The King preened, and she felt a moment of success.  </p><p>“They have a fascinating crystallization process. Dunmerth’s version of- well, I guess your closest equivalent are pigs- or rats,” she said her voice rising in pitch with her excitement, “They’re a bit of both, anyway, they eat a type of rock that gets mixed in with their food.  The rock cocoons in their waste, and they come out all pretty and jewel-like.  It takes a special type of farmer to find them, the smell’s so rank people have died.  What was I saying?  Oh right, so the crystals come out like a poop encrusted butterfly.”  She laughed shaking her head. “Nature.”</p><p>She turned back to the King.  For some reason, his twinkle was missing.  She let out an internal groan.  What did she say?  He seemed happy about his crystals.  Aristocrats… she swallowed a sigh.  So much for the feast.</p><p>“That’s… fascinating,” he said into the lingering silence.  The Doctor’s eyebrow rose.  Who did the psychic paper say they were?  Kings didn’t suffer subpar company, in her experience.  With the twinkle gone, she expected an escorted trip to the door.</p><p>“Thank you,” she said.  If he was going to try, she would, too.  They stood in silence for a moment.  Suddenly, his face lit, the twinkle back in full force.</p><p>“You’re clearly a woman who appreciates value.  Surely, someone of your esteem has heard of…” He leaned forward, his dramatics matching their overindulgent surroundings, “The Doctor.”</p><p>Graham choked back a snort.  She turned to glare at him in warning, spoiling it when her own lips quirked.  Ryan and Yaz bit their lips, trying their best to keep straight faces.  </p><p>“The Doctor,” she drew her name out seeming to think, “I believe I’ve heard a tale or two, a mischievous rogue roaming about the galaxy, no?” She asked, taking entirely too much pleasure in her own description.</p><p>“One and the same,” the King said, excitement in full force.  “You have heard of him-,”</p><p>“Or her,” she added under her breath.</p><p>“I have a collection of sorts.” He smiled, pride coloring his face.  She blinked.  A collection… of her?  The King snapped his fingers.  The guards jumped to attention, a few rushing to a side door.  </p><p>“You’re going to love this,” he said scooting to the edge of his seat.  “I have it on good authority, my collection is the most accomplished in the ‘verse.”</p><p>“Oh?” She asked faintly.  Others were collecting her things, too?  She started making a mental list of things she’d left behind during her adventures. </p><p>She glanced back at her fam.  Yaz seemed to be having trouble breathing as she leaned against a chuckling Ryan.  Graham wasn’t even trying to hide his amusement.  It danced in his eyes almost as strong as the King’s twinkle.  She was starting to prefer the brekindoodle.</p><p>The guards filed back in, lugging bits of her old junk boxed in elegant glass showcases.  The King flourished an arm for each item, making a grand gesture and explanation for each epically boring item she’d ever dropped.  At least, it felt like every item she’d ever dropped.  A few were just ripped shards of her old wardrobes.  </p><p>He even had an old bow tie.  Her shoulders rolled back with pride at the sight.  Her old self was right.  They were cool.</p><p>“And now,” he said making a show of rubbing his hands together, “the true pride and joys of my collection.”  He nodded toward the side door.  A guard came out with an oversized showcase, a single shard of wood sitting in the center, blue paint chipping.  “A piece of the famed Tardis.”</p><p>The Doctor’s teeth clenched, her amusement bleeding into the extravagantly patterned floor.  Somewhere during her adventures, something hurt her oldest, most loyal friend, and this man, this king, thought the result was a collectible.</p><p>Her fam showed the appropriate fascination, and he moved on oblivious to her mood.  Graham shot her a worried look, noticing the shift.  She tried to smile for his benefit.  It came out more as a grimace.</p><p>Another nod.  Another relic from her past.  This time a guard paraded an old sonic screwdriver in front of them.  She almost laughed.  It wasn’t even hers.  Still, she took a note, sunglasses as a sonic, genius.</p><p>“And now, ladies and gentlemen,” the King said standing for the first time since they entered.  He stepped down the few stairs leading from the dais to stand level with them.  “May I present the crowning glory of my collection.”</p><p>They turned toward the door waiting for the guards to bring the last piece.  A scuffle echoed from the depths and into the hall.  The Doctor and Graham exchanged a look, both taking a subtle half step in front of Yaz and Ryan.</p><p>No less than four guards emerged, each holding a chain leash leading a lone figure into the chamber.  They twitched with each movement the figure made.  She walked between them with a careless air, seemingly indifferent to their presence, short, confident, daring her viewers to comment on her busted lip. The Doctor’s heart clenched.  Ice ran up her spine, fury igniting in her gut.</p><p>“Clara,” she uttered before she could stop herself.  Her brow furrowed.  How did she know her name?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The King turned to the Doctor his twinkle shining like a bloody sun. She debated breaking her no guns rule. The nearest guard had a blaster, crude and archaic, but it would work. One shot to his gut and she could watch him bleed out, because Clara, her Clara, was in chains in his throne room.</p>
<p>Wait… her Clara?</p>
<p>"So you know her," the King clapped his hands together. He paced toward his trophy. The guards shifted with unease as he moved closer to the woman. "One of the Doctor's more prolific companions. Rumor has it they would have ended the galaxy if they'd stayed together. I must say, I believe it. She's quite the firecracker. Aren't you girl?"</p>
<p>The Doctor felt an odd sense of pleasure when Clara ignored him, eyeing their group instead. Wait… companion? She remembered all of her companions. She did, of course, she did, she knew her life, all of her life, every piece… except for the time she blocked out one of her lives… except the time her memory was sealed… except…</p>
<p>At some point, Yaz put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder. Without her noticing, Graham and Ryan had stepped closer. Her fam surrounded her, their support a welcome comfort.</p>
<p>Clara must have read the horror on their faces because something in her relaxed. Pride hurt, the King stepped forward lifting her chin to look at him.</p>
<p>"I asked you a question," he said as the guards tightened their grips on the chains. Clara spared him a glare before kneeing him in the groin.</p>
<p>"And I asked to leave," she said, sighing as he sank to his knees. The Doctor caught one of the guards smirking before wiping his face blank. "I thought ignoring questions was a custom in this region." She tilted her head in a maddeningly familiar expression. "You can understand my confusion."</p>
<p>The King's face twisted in rage as he staggered to his feet, dangerous intent replacing the twinkle in his eye. "Why you-,"</p>
<p>"We'll be taking her, now," the Doctor said, stepping forward to head off whatever he was planning. She flipped open her psychic paper, flashing it in his face. "Last I checked, owning people violated section 014 of the inter-galactitory alliance, of which you're a part, if I'm not mistaken."</p>
<p>"Alliance patrol?" The King asked, eyes widening. He threw a glare at his Lieutenant. "You said they were a part of Emperor Malagof's inner circle."</p>
<p>"Who says we aren't?" The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "Release her to our custody… now."</p>
<p>The King blustered, squeezing his hands into fists. She half expected him to throw a tantrum. After the air grew heavy, her shoulders tensed ready for action, he deflated. A quick nod to the guards and they were unchaining her Clara.</p>
<p>No, not her Clara. Honestly, she didn't even know her. Maybe a past self… emphasis on maybe. The King got it wrong with the sonic screwdriver, this Clara character could be someone else's companion.</p>
<p>Yes, the Doctor told herself. She knew her companions, and she didn't know Clara. The girl stepped away from the guards, each one keeping a respectful distance, a wary eye tracking her movements. With every second it became increasingly clear, forgetting a girl like Clara, impossible.</p>
<p>/—/—/</p>
<p>The palace loomed behind them as they wound their way through the village streets. Their exit lacked the pomp from their entrance, their circumstance direly different.</p>
<p>"You know they'll follow," Clara said from the front of the pack.</p>
<p>"Almost certainly," the Doctor replied.</p>
<p>"Escape plan?"</p>
<p>"Run?" The Doctor shrugged. "Plans usually come with a spot of running."</p>
<p>Clara's lip quirked. "Funny, I used to have a friend that said that. Had an odd fascination with bow ties, that one." She looked off into the distance a sad crinkle to her eye.</p>
<p>"Bow ties are cool," the Doctor replied off-hand, missing Clara's quick glance in her direction. Her fam watched the two go back and forth, eyes flicking from one to the other. She wondered why she said that. It didn't seem like her.</p>
<p>The Doctor gravitated closer to their new companion, a magnet to iron. No, not iron, too malleable for Clara. She wasn't sure how she knew, must be her superior ability to read people. Steel, Clara was more like steel, strong, dependable, a bit of a mix. Steel like her swiss army sonic. Oooh, there's an idea. She pulled it out.</p>
<p>Dancing around behind the girl, tracked with an amused look from everyone in the group, she waved the sonic over their newest member. Glancing at the readings, her eyes widened. She shook the sonic, not expecting the results to change, more out of reflex. When one saw something unbelievable on a bit of technology, one shook it.</p>
<p>She glanced at the results again, unchanged, typical.</p>
<p>"You're impossible," the Doctor said, staring with not a little bit of wonder at Clara.</p>
<p>"My old friend used to say that, too," Clara said, her cheeks dimpling.</p>
<p>"Uh, Doc," Graham cut in. "What do you mean, impossible?"</p>
<p>"Here look," she said flashing the sonic's display at him faster than he could read, "No heartbeat… how?" She asked turning back to the source of the mystery.</p>
<p>"I've heard memories, once forgotten become stories," Clara answered cryptically, piquing the Doctor's interest further, "and this, I'm afraid, is a bit of a story."</p>
<p>The Doctor spun around in front of their small group, walking backward to keep them all in sight. "Well, what's stopping you? We have time, and I do love a good tale." She felt the smile stretch her face. Anticipation dancing through her.</p>
<p>"I don't doubt it," Clara said giving her an unreadable look, a mix of amusement, longing, and… something. "I think it may have to wait though." The Doctor's brow furrowed in disappointed confusion.</p>
<p>"Doctor," Yaz said pulling her attention. She stared at something over the Doctor's shoulder. Graham and Ryan stood with their mouths gaping. Even Clara's steps had faltered. Spinning, the Doctor faced an unwelcome sight.</p>
<p>"Uuuhg," she groaned, "Really, the Judoon? Why would you call the Judoon?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Your reviews keep my keyboard powered. Who needs electricity? Stay wonderful!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 3:</p>
<p>The King took a cocky step forward. "You're stealing my property," he said, eyes drifting over to Clara. The girl quirked an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I call them? Impersonating an Alliance patrol officer," he tisked turning to the lead Jadoon, "That's worth what, a year?"</p>
<p>"Impersonation of local authority, violation of code 876, section 5, amendment 2. Sentence, twenty years." The Judoon raised a transporter toward them.</p>
<p>"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the Doctor and Clara said in sync. They exchanged a look.</p>
<p>"Let's just all think about this for a moment," the Doctor said.</p>
<p>"He violated code 429, subsection 82," Clara said.</p>
<p>Catching on, the Doctor added, "and according to code 220, section 8, amendment 7, all subsequent violations are null and void."</p>
<p>The Judoon paused. "Must confer with command-chain before sentencing. Everyone is remanded to this spot until otherwise specified."</p>
<p>The Doctor and Clara edged back to her fam.</p>
<p>"When I say," the Doctor said out of the corner of her mouth.</p>
<p>"Run," Clara finished for her.</p>
<p>The contingent of Judoon sparkled, the first sign of transport. "Now!" The Doctor shouted, and they ducked behind a peasant dwelling as a hail of blaster charges hit the ground behind them.</p>
<p>Laughter bubbled inside her, completely inappropriate, but insatiable. Clara's mirroring smile told her she wasn't the only one. Graham huffed behind them as they turned down a path that would take them to the Tardis.</p>
<p>They entered the cover of trees, the pounding of the guards' boots following them. Ryan nearly tripped over a root, Yaz grabbing him at the last second. Excitement buzzed in the Doctor's head even as she kept an eye on her fam, close calls and failures with other companions always resting in the back of her mind. Her attention shifted to Clara, no heartbeat, impossible Clara. Did she fail her, too? Is that why she couldn't remember her?</p>
<p>No, she shook herself from the thought. She knew her companions. The King was wrong about the sonic. He was wrong about Clara.</p>
<p>The Tardis came into view, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Sometimes, she really missed her longer legs. Clara reached the Tardis first as the King's guard followed them into the small clearing. The door opened… without protest… The Doctor's jaw dropped.</p>
<p>They piled in, Graham swinging the door shut behind him. It latched seconds before the first thump echoed through the room. The Doctor glanced at Clara, the usual wonder and disbelief of a new passenger utterly absent. The evidence was getting harder to ignore.</p>
<p>The Doctor rushed forward and pulled a lever trusting her Tardis to take them where they needed to go. She wasn't sure if she was running from the guards or her thoughts. The engines whined and cranked, flying them somewhere new.</p>
<p>The banging stopped. The engines slowed. A hiss signaled their landing, and the group let out a collective breath.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Your reviews are like a new swiss army sonic, useful and motivating on every occasion. Stay wonderful!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 4:</p><p>"I haven't had that much fun since…" Clara trailed off, sending a wistful look in the Doctor's direction. She walked forward running a hand on the control panel. "It's a good look," she said directing the comment to the Tardis. "A fan of crystals this time around?"</p><p>"Better'n bow ties," the Doctor scoffed, trying to hide how unnerved she was.</p><p>"I thought you said they were cool," Clara smirked. It was a vision, familiar, maddening, perfect, a look that made the Doctor want to grab her and show her all of time and space. Clara shrugged. "At least you lost your fascination with the guitar," she muttered</p><p>"Guitar?" Ryan jumped in, interested.</p><p>"And you know how to play, since when?" Yaz asked with a raised eyebrow. She shot a worried look at the Doctor, Graham mirroring her concern. Never could sneak anything passed the fam. Frustrating, that.</p><p>"I could learn," Ryan said, mind fully taken by the idea.</p><p>The Doctor studied her new passenger. She would remember her. She wouldn't. She would. She couldn't. There was something there at the edge of… a note, or maybe a song? Definitely tune like.</p><p>"Who are you?" She asked tired of wallowing in denial, "Why don't I know you? I know all of my companions. Why does my Tardis like you? Why do I have this blasted song in my head? And why do I suddenly have an overwhelming need to find an electric guitar?" She turned accusing eyes on the admittedly cute, frustratingly impossible Clara.</p><p>"I have one of those faces," she dimpled. A buzz shot up the Doctor's spine. They could go to the Picasso Planet and plan a heist, visit the Libraries of Alejandria and race cloudhoppers through the aisles. Oh, there was a new fountain in 1470 Fontania. They could go fill it with… No, come on Doctor, focus.</p><p>"No, I mean yes, maybe," she said pacing from one crystal to another. "I don't know you. I know I don't know you, but I do."</p><p>"Maybe I'm a ghost?" Clara said, eyes sparkling, "Oh, that would be cool. Could walk through walls and the like. Very useful in a pinch." She nodded with the confidence of a sage.</p><p>"Or maybe," Yaz cut in, "you could tell us who you really are and stop avoidin' the question."</p><p>"I like her," Clara's smile widened, "Good choice, Doc. If you're so keen on an introduction, how about your names, then? Come on, let's have 'em."</p><p>"Graham, Ryan, Yaz," Graham said with a curt point to each. "Now, go on. Like Yaz was sayin' stop yankin' us about."</p><p>Clara turned to the Doctor. "And who are they, new companions?" She asked, a curious glint lighting her eyes.</p><p>"My fam," the Doctor answered, feeling oddly protective of her small band.</p><p>"Good," Clara said, "It's only fair. You got to embarrass me in front of mine." She turned to the others. "Did he ever tell you- er- she ever tell you, diggin' the new look, by the way," she winked in the Doctor's direction, "about the time she-,"</p><p>"Oy," the Doctor interrupted. Who knew what stories Clara could drag out, "No fair telling embarrassing stories until we get a name."</p><p>"A name, any name?" Clara quipped.</p><p>"Your name," Ryan said.</p><p>"Ah, but a rose by any other doth smell as sweet, or so I'm told."</p><p>"Enough," Yaz said, voice firm, commanding, the one the Doctor saw her using on occasion when she checked up during her probationary rounds. "What is your name?"</p><p>Clara's quippy indifference faltered, her shoulders slumping the barest amount. "Clara," she said, "I'm Clara Oswald."</p><p>"And you know the Doctor?" Yaz continued the interrogation. "You were her companion?"</p><p>The Doctor stopped pacing, leaning forward to hear the answer. Clara gave a sharp, blink-and-you'll-miss-it, nod. The pacing restarted. The Doctor's speed increased as her fingers drummed a beat on her leg.</p><p>"Why don't she remember you?" Ryan asked following Yaz's lead. The drumming increased as Clara stayed stubbornly silent.</p><p>The Doctor's footsteps tinked off the metal floor, filling the silence. She spun on her heel to face them.</p><p>"Why? Yes, why, Ryan good question, great question. Why wouldn't I remember a former companion, a former friend? You know me," she took a few steps closer to Clara, "You're clever. I can see that you're clever, but you're making the mistake clever people frequently make… No, wait," she interrupted herself spinning away from the group. "That's wrong. This is wrong. Backward or… something." She squeezed her eyes shut searching for memories that weren't there.</p><p>The fam, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham, flashed through her mind first, then Bill, then… Amy, Rory, River… Rose. Where were they now? All because of her. Why wouldn't she remember a clever, clever companion?</p><p>"What did I do?"</p><p>"Pardon?" Clara's voice rang behind her.</p><p>"You made me forget." The Doctor meant it as a question, but it came out a statement, the truth of it echoing in her head. "What did I do?" She asked turning back to face her old companion and whatever condemnation she earned. "What was so bad you wanted to wipe every last trace of yourself from my mind?"</p><p>Clara's mouth parted the slightest amount, eyes misting at the question. Pain lined her face, a memory etched in her skin. Arrogance and flippancy melted away, her mask slipping.</p><p>"Nothing," she said. "You didn't do anything. It's just… the way it had to be… has to be."</p><p>The Doctor stared at her. "But you're impossible. You're my impossible girl," she said it, and it sounded right, like the song in her head. "Your heartbeat, am I the reason it's missing? Is that why?"</p><p>Clara let out a watery laugh, refusing to let a single tear fall. "Of course, not," she forced a smile on her face, "You have plenty of hearts for the both of us." She took a step forward, looking unsure for the first time. The Doctor saw the second she made up her mind. "Does this version like hugs?" Clara didn't wait for an answer, burying herself in the Doctor's arms.</p><p>The Doctor held tight, not wanting to let go, not understanding why. It was relief. It was fear, like holding a wisp of smoke, knowing it would disappear the moment she released it.</p><p>"I think I do." She mumbled into Clara's hair. The girl shook in her arms, suppressed emotion making itself known.</p><p>Clara stepped back too soon. The Doctor's arms felt empty and awkward by her sides. She sent a bewildered look toward Graham. He seemed as lost a she was. Ryan and Yaz weren't any better.</p><p>"I think it's time to be going now, Doctor," Clara said, a sad smile painting her lips. She snapped her fingers, the Tardis doors opening on command. "If you're ever in trouble, look for Me."</p><p>"Wait," the Doctor called, "but where are you going?"</p><p>Clara paused at the door. "Somewhere I'm supposed to be." She looked back a mischievous glint lighting her eye. "The long way around." Then she was gone. Smoke dispersing in the sky.</p><p>The Doctor exchanged a look with her fam, lost, looking for the right move. Yaz sent her an exasperated smile, tilting her head toward the door. Taking her cue the Doctor ran to it. She stuck her head out, unsure what to say, but needing to try.</p><p>An empty road stared back, nothing but sand and a closed diner in view. Her shoulders slumped. She pulled back, closing the door behind her. The latch clicked.</p><p>"Don't worry, Doc," Graham said resting a hand on her shoulder, "We'll look for her. She can't have gone far."</p><p>Hope kindled under her skin. "You liked her?" The Doctor asked. "One more for the fam?"</p><p>"You liked her," Yaz said, "that's what counts." Ryan nudged her with an elbow. "Yeah, we liked her."</p><p>"She can't have gone far, right? I mean, she said to look for her if we're in trouble. It'll be what, another day before that happens?" Ryan said, tricking a laugh out of them.</p><p>"Oh, Ooooh," the Doctor said spinning toward the control panel, "she didn't mean me, she meant Me. Capital letter! It's been forever, and I mean that literally, but she'll be happy to see me… maybe… probably." She turned to her fam with a smile, adrenaline pumping with a new mission. "You're going to love this."</p><p>The Doctor pulled the lever.</p><p>~Fin~</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you, everyone, for the support! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stay wonderful!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Your reviews are like a good cup of coffee on Saturday morning.  Stay wonderful!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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